Bass Hunting

[Nitro 882]

I caught part of the final day of the Elite tourney at Lake Fork Sunday and I think I saw my lifelong passion die. 

I'm 77 and not too "techy" so the advances over the years with sonar units have gone unnoticed by me. What I watched Sunday shocked the hell out of me. Apparently this new Forward Facing Sonar is the latest thing in marine electronics and it changes the sport of bass fishing, or fishing in general, forever. 

I tuned in and watched an angler (may have to change that term in the future) stand on his trolling motor and stare at his graph for at least 5 minutes without making a single cast. Compare this to the old days when VanDam would put his trolling motor on high and run down the bank rapidly firing a spinnerbait until he found fish.

I thought the first guy was an anomaly but as they went from contestant to contestant, much to my dismay, they were all doing the same thing. Not fishing but hunting fish. Not only hunting fish but selecting the size fish they want to present their lure to. Does the term "shooting fish in a barrel" ring a bell? We all know that the younger crowd is all into technology. If I have issues with my laptop or mobile phone I just have my 7 year old granddaughter fix them. Therefore, it is not surprising that 5 of the final 10 on Sunday were tour "rookies". And I guess it's not surprising, considering the "video game" mentality, that a 19 year old won the trophy.

If you don't think FFS is a game changer consider not only the 5 rookies competing on the final day but that all 10 finalist broke 100#s with over 130# being the winning weight.

Lee Livesay won back to back Lake fork tourneys a short while. Not terribly surprising as it is his home lake where he has guided for years. He didn't make the cut his time so he hung around and offered expert commentary. As he watched some of the anglers working areas of the lake that he knows like the back of his hand he would chuckle and say "I would never have considered fishing in those areas in a hundred years".

Some of the guys bragged that they never moved around. When they got to the spots they had found during practice they got on the trolling motor and never got off till quitin' time. To me, this is the same as "bed" fishing. you "see" the fish and throw a variety of baits at it till it bites. In the :good old days" you would pull up on your spot make a few casts and, if no bites, move along on your "milk run". Now you can see that the fish are there right in front of you and you just have to find what presentation or bait they will respond to.

I know every generation has had some new fandangled gizmo that the old folks will bring about the downfall of civilization and I don't want to be that guy. Just saddens me that the sport I love and thought I knew has become another of those many things that has past me by.

May the FFS be with you.

 

[Swamp Girl]

Thank you, Thomas. Yours is a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. 

 

FFS is emptying the oceans. There's nowhere for fish to hide. I fear the same for today's freshwater fisheries, especially when the giant female tournament bass with their A+++ genes are crammed into live walls, lugged ashore, hefted for the crowd, and then released...to die, as many do. I watched a YouTube video where two tournament anglers were removing dead bass from their livewell and dropping them overboard, lest points be deducted at the weigh-in.

 

I'm pretty sure that all bass anglers love bass. I just worry that some tournament anglers love big bass to death. Protecting the big bass genes should be paramount. I'd love to see all tourneys go the way of kayak bass anglers, i.e. photographing bass on bump boards and quick releasing them. I'd live with FFS a lot easier then. 

[Nitro 882]

34 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Thank you, Thomas. Yours is a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. 

 

FFS is emptying the oceans. There's nowhere for fish to hide. I fear the same for today's freshwater fisheries, especially when the giant female tournament bass with their A+++ genes are crammed into live walls, lugged ashore, hefted for the crowd, and then released...to die, as many do. I watched a YouTube video where two tournament anglers were removing dead bass from their livewell and dropping them overboard, lest points be deducted at the weigh-in.

 

I'm pretty sure that all bass anglers love bass. I just worry that some tournament anglers love big bass to death. Protecting the big bass genes should be paramount. I'd love to see all tourneys go the way of kayak bass anglers, i.e. photographing bass on bump boards and quick releasing them. I'd live with FFS a lot easier then. 

Full disclosure, they had officials on board at Lake Fork immediately weighing and releasing those precious specimens. Thankfully.

[A-Jay]

@Nitro 882 Thank you for taking the time & sharing your thoughts.

My personal feelings regarding FFS emulate your own very closely. 

While I do have a few less years on the water, I think the writings already on the wall.

When I think about how Game Cameras & Drones have altered the very essence of 'Hunting'

big game, there seems to be a close parallel with FFS and Bass fishing.

The world changes and this is that.

As a younger man, say 40 years younger, I do not believe I would feel the same about FFS

as I do now.  However at this point, FFS IMO 'looks good' but 'feels bad'. 

The world will go on, but it will be 'different.'

So thankful that I grew up & lived the majority of my fishing life during the time frame that I did. 

I recently 'replaced' the electronics on my rig.

Had a hard decision to make on which way I was going to go.

In the end, I purchased new '3 year old' technology.

Call me old fashion but it just 'felt right'.  

I will continue to do it my way, with no complaints, no apologies and no regrets.

This topic has literally flooded the bass fishing world with some of the most drama I can remember.

I'm tired of it already and look forward to getting out on the water again.

Fish Hard

A-Jay

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

31 minutes ago, Nitro 882 said:

Full disclosure, they had officials on board at Lake Fork immediately weighing and releasing those precious specimens. Thankfully.

 

If that works, then I'm glad. I just read an In-Fisherman study that concluded that lots of the A+++ bass die. There are also anecdotal accounts at BR of big bass bloated and floating following tournaments. 

 

Like @A-Jay, I'm just grateful that most of my fishing life predates FFS. 

 

I do understand the thrill of casting to a bass that your FFS has marked because I've cast to surface-feeding bass. When you know a bass is where you're casting, it's thrilling. I don't know the thrill of watching a bass rise to my bait on the FFS screen. In short, I understand the attraction. I just worry about the long-term cost. Maybe there won't be a long-term cost. Maybe future bass caught will remain as big as the BIG bass being caught today. 

[Fishing_Rod]

Greetings All,

It is obvious we are passionate about our angling adventures. Each of us have to choose the approach that we use to pursue this. Much as there are those who aspire for tournament success, or just recreational success, we each have motivations driving our actions.

 

Over the years we have seen the influence in technology used for angling. There are different lines, and materials used for rods, now all the changes to electronics. Each has brought different aspects with concerns to angling and impact to fisheries.

 

I would like to echo and emphasize better fish handling practices overall as that is an area we can promote and should be able to agree on. Regardless of the technology used. It is regretful that many angling videos display such poor fishing handling technique. This unfortunately influences others to emulate the same poor behavior.

 

It is possible to admire and release a fish in a timely fashion. A graceful release is preferred over simply hurling the fish which has been overly exposed out of the water for an extended period. We can all do better. Hopefully all anglers can embrace this theme, regardless of technology, as this is a fundamental to preserve our angling treasures and resource.

As for sophisticated electronics, sure they are helpful. There is a body of evidence building to show the advantages of being able to find fish quicker and target them till you find something successful. Each individual has to choose if that is appropriate for them. Contributors to this discussion have shared their perspectives and I have great respect for each.

 

Angling for me is purely recreational, and I wish to keep it that way for me. I enjoy the sport and I enjoy the simplified experience of it. None of my gear is all that fancy. The only electronics I have with me is my cell phone. It is for communications so I can share photos of my catches, right? I enjoy keeping it simple as it enhances my angling discoveries. I find fish by casting. I figure out the water depth and ground composition by my kayak anchor. It works for me and I'm good with it.

 

My only wish and hope is that we all enjoy the fishing with proper respect for the environment and for handling the fish. This way we can all continue to enjoy angling. Be well and Cheers!

[Swamp Girl]

I love your post, @Fishing_Rod, because you stated so clearly how most of us want the very best from bass fishing, today and tomorrow, and we just have to figure the way to keeping bass big, abundant, and healthy. 

[Susky River Rat]

I hate the use of FFS. I could have easily yet up my new boat with a few units but chose not to. I do not believe it is sporting. It will make bass harder to catch as it already has done to musky in the areas around here. Sorry bass guys were way behind the FFS crazy it’s been in the musky world heavily since it came out. They didn’t call it scoping though the term was sniping or sharp shooting. 
 

The only way for this to go away is the DNR, fish and boat commission etc to put a ban on it. I highly doubt any of the major tournament trails will ban it. If you ain’t scopin your hopin. I refuse to put this technology on my boat. I’ll hang onto my hopes. 

[WRB]

I am a few years older but grew up using flashers and reading topo maps, old photos to determine off shore bass locations.

Between 1960 to 1980 I had the off shore areas to myself because the “trollers” who fished those areas aged out.

My 1st paper graph was around 1975 as I recall followed by “color” Digital sonar. Each improvement caused debate about using sonar was like cheating depending where you fished. I had to smuggle my paper graph to Canada in a converted tackle box so I could use it there!

40 years pass bye until FFS/Live Scope units reset the old bias thinking.

Bass fishing is as modern or old fashion as you want it to be.

Tom

[scaleface]

As a tournament fan , I hate FFS. If a person can ID a bass on a screen all he has to do is try to get it to bite. If he fails keep trying .

  As an angler it wont effect me. I have my two man plastic boat ready to go. As long as I can go down a bank and make good cast , I'll catch my share of largemouths and have a blast doing so. 

[bowhunter63]

I will never use it , But it is making watching tournament fishing boring. I’m old school so to me it’s not really fishing  but playing a video game. Im ate up with bass fishing always have been. I have never seen all the drama we have now . Hopefully it all comes out good in the end . 

[TnRiver46]

Well now I can finally fish with my live bait and fry bass fillets in peace, convenient diversion 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 minute ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well now I can finally fish with my live bait and fry bass fillets in peace, convenient diversion 

Rookie, meanwhile I'm trolling an A-Rig with 5 hooks like an absolute boss 🤣

[TnRiver46]

Hahah I’ve tried an a rig like 4 times, caught some white bass and lost two rigs, financial pain……

[scaleface]

Funny story I will try to make fast.

 

I was fishing this small lake and there were two guys fishing in a decked out bass boat using FFS. The guy in front kept pointing the direction where he saw fish , so the guy in back would know where to cast. I met an old man and he was livid. He said there were these two guys in a bass boat and one guy was pointing for him to get out of the cove. 

[GreenPig]

Killed your life long passion? The way somebody else is fishing, especially guys in 100K rigs holds no sway on my fishing. 

[gim]

I know most members at BR are probably quite clueless on the effects of live sonar while ice fishing.  Its a concept that most cannot grasp, nor do they care to, primarily because the concept of ice fishing itself is a foreign activity other than in the northern tier.

 

At least in the bass (and muskie) realm, the fish are being caught and with the intention to be released.  In the ice fishing realm, they aren't.  Its pure harvest.  Panfish are being caught far more easily with less effort than ever before.  The only saving grace on that front line are ice conditions, which gradually seem to be getting worse and less over time. 

 

The DNR is taking a proactive approach on the subject and they have reduced panfish limits significantly on over 100 lakes, rather than just flat out banning it.  As more and more people start to use it and the cost of it goes down, more restrictive limits are coming to a lake near me.

[Swamp Girl]

I didn't know what you shared, @gimruis. Thanks. 

[TnRiver46]

41 minutes ago, GreenPig said:

Killed your life long passion? The way somebody else is fishing, especially guys in 100K rigs holds no sway on my fishing. 

[bowhunter63]

Hey they still pound a Rage Bug 😁

[WRB]

Having “hunted” trophy LMB most of my lifetime what I have observed is big bass populations reacting to sonar signals by shutting down feeding activity and moving away from boats. I adjusted to this behavior by making long cast and not using my sonar until leaving an area.

My guess based on experience is the bass will become wary of stronger FFS / Live Scope signals, those that don’t will be culled out.

Tom

[Catt]

Coonass opinion 😉

 

If you ain't got it you still can catch fish.

 

I hear a lot about scopers just staring at a screen all day.

I have 55 years experience on Toledo Bend fishing offshore structures. I can not begin to guess how many hours I've behind a console staring at some version of a depth.

 

I've spent countless hours standing on the front deck of a bass boat, foot on trolling motor, eyes on screen, glancing up at that boat shed, that pine tree over yonder, or lining up bouy markers. All because someone ain't invented spot lock yet & I wanna target suspended bass. 

 

Instead of fishing to find em, I now find them, then fish for em.

 

Personal I like the hunt as much as the catch. Only change I plan on making...Spot-Lock®.

[padon]

ive thought about getting it, i have the money thats not an issue. i just cant get past the way i feel about it that its not what fishing was intended to be. the whole point is to tru to use your knowledge to predict where fish will be and the catch them. what about the whole experience of casting to a fishy looking spot and anticipating the bite? idk im the same guy hunting with a recurve when i could be using a crossbow and a flintlock when i could be using a scoped rifle. but i just dont think its for me. plus i stare at screeens 40 hours a week, i go fishing to get away from that.

[OHBuckets]

5 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

I hate the use of FFS. I could have easily yet up my new boat with a few units but chose not to. I do not believe it is sporting. It will make bass harder to catch as it already has done to musky in the areas around here. Sorry bass guys were way behind the FFS crazy it’s been in the musky world heavily since it came out. They didn’t call it scoping though the term was sniping or sharp shooting. 
 

The only way for this to go away is the DNR, fish and boat commission etc to put a ban on it. I highly doubt any of the major tournament trails will ban it. If you ain’t scopin your hopin. I refuse to put this technology on my boat. I’ll hang onto my hopes. 

Yep. For musky it went from 10000 casts to 'cast right there'  Anecdotally, I'm told they're having better luck with it off in some waters. 

 

I only have a canoe   

[scaleface]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Only change I plan on making...Spot-Lock®.

If I ever but another elec. motor , it will have spot-lock.